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By Ibrahim Muhammad
First, I must commend the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for the release of funds to Private Hajj Operators and state Muslim Pilgrim’s Welfare Boards and Agencies for onward disbursement to their 2023 Hajj pilgrims for services not rendered.
We must also acknowledge the efforts of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) to sustain the pressure on NAHCON to release the refunds. The State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards also played a critical role in the process that led to the refunds. This is a sign that the industry has begun to realize the importance of operating an open financial system and being accountable to our dear pilgrims. This will go a long way in building the confidence of the pilgrims and the general public in the system.
Despite being in the eyes of the storm recently, it must also be understood that the Nigerian Hajj Industry is among the few government agencies that make refunds for services not rendered and provide details of such refunds.
However, there are still outstanding areas that must be addressed to complete the cycle of transparency in the process.
NAHCON has provided the details of how much was disbursed to each of the 154 Private Hajj Operators and the 36 States and the FCT, but how much did NAHCON receive from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for the unrendered services during the 2023 Hajj?
Commendably, NAHCON has now publicly revealed the details of how much it received from Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and also promised to disburse the remaining funds being awaited as soon as details is provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The entire process captured above revolves around the cycle of government-to-government agencies. It is time to activate the most important part of the process and that is how to ensure that the funds reach the pilgrims – who are the owners of the refund.
Many States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board have acknowledged the receipt of the refund and also announced the commencement of disbursement accordingly. Though the States have responded positively but is there a process to ensure that the disbursement is carried transparently out as being announced? This is the most important aspect of the refund.
More importantly, 154 Hajj and Umrah Operators have received various sums of money for disbursement to their pilgrims.
As of the time of writing this piece, only two or three Private Hajj Operators have publicly acknowledged the receipt of the refunds and begun distributing the funds to their pilgrims.
In the interest of transparency and accountability, the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators AHUON should openly admit the receipt of the money and direct its members whose accounts have been credited to also publicly announce the receipt of the refunds and urge them to begin disbursement.
There should also be a public announcement to this effect especially when the issues have been raised in the public by AHUON and even constitute part of the questions raised against NAHCON during the public hearings conducted by both the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and adhoc committee of the House of Representatives.
As promised by Independent Hajj Reporters, the era of a closed administrative style is over and we all owe it a responsibility to ensure that the 2023 Hajj refunds get to the pilgrims and the transparency protocol is implemented across boards.
Muhammad is the national coordinator of Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR
